We've all heard that little voice; at least, I hope, we've all heard that little voice. You know the one that urges you to call the friend whose name suddenly jumps into your head, and now, you can't shake the feeling that she needs to talk to someone, but not just anyone, you. Sometimes the voice prods you to take a different running route where you discover a distraught mom outside of her broken-down car frantically pressing the power button on her cell phone, the one that she forgot to charge that morning. Moments that are beyond ordinary coincidences; moments when you know that voice was the sweet sound of the Holy Spirit.
I'm ashamed to admit that I've often ignored that voice or didn't hear it because I was too busy doing something important like checking out the most recent pictures of my friend's children on Facebook. Things that clearly need immediate attention. Lately, I've been prayerfully seeking to really hear and discern what the Holy Spirit has planned for me on a daily basis. Often, I'll sense Him prodding me toward a certain task, one where I stop and ask, "Really? Are you sure?" Usually, the task requires me to step out of my comfort zone and continue running for about 100 miles until I'm no longer in the same area code with said comfort zone. The message will come across loud and clear, and just to be sure, I'll pray about it. "This.....this is what I need to do, Lord?" "Yes." So, I'll pick up my Bible, open it, and pray, "If this is really from you Lord, allow me to receive confirmation."
Take today for instance; I felt the urge to call and offer my unrequested minimal assistance in a small mission opportunity. My first thought was but that person will think I've lost my ever-loving mind. What if they think I'm a weirdo? Apparently, I'm still working on getting over worrying about what people think of me, which is clearly a requirement for true Christian service.....and let's face it I am a weirdo. So I prayed to be sure, and the feeling didn't abate. To make doubly sure, I decided to read one more page in my bible study to see if I received any ground-breaking epiphany of confirmation, which I did, so much so that I got chills from head to toe and paused to put my hands in the air in a moment of praise. Then I decided to dry my hair and pray one more time.....just to be sure. Finally, I grabbed my cell phone and checked my email. Realizing it was now or never, I dialed with shaking fingers and a wildly beating heart, my acquaintance's number and discovered wonderful possibilities for true, meaningful mission work to be done in Haiti. I mean, seriously, what was I really afraid of? It was just so far beyond my comfort zone that I struggled to be obedient.
How many kingdom-building opportunities am I missing because basically I'm afraid of what people might think? Will they think I'm just trying to show how righteous I am? Will they think I'm crazy to think I could pull that off? Insecurity rears its ugly head every time I think I hear the Spirit speak. And, I want to shout to myself: it's not about you!!!! It's about Him! But, I'm trying to focus on listening more intently and obeying because by hearing and obeying, I am rewarded beyond measure with the opportunity to serve Christ in truly tangible ways. That trumps insecurity every time!
Speaking of missional living, perhaps I've mentioned this book I read by Jen Hatmaker called 7? (And just when you thought I was finally going to write a post shorter than 20 paragraphs....) If you like me have never considered what it really means when the tag in your sweater says Made in China, this book is truly eye-opening. One aspect that really spoke to me was the idea of becoming a more aware consumer, especially the concept of fair trade. There are a plethora of opportunities to shop in ways that allow you to participate in both kingdom-building and in empowering men and women across the world to build small businesses that benefit their villages. These artisans create beautiful goods and are offered a fair, sustainable wage for their products. Many of the websites that I will list in a moment are run by churches and Christian organizations that have partnered with villages in developing nations, and many of the profits from sales are used to provide care for orphans. So I encourage you to consider some of these sites when Christmas shopping and to learn more about fair trade and how partnering to build business relationships with artisans in these countries also provides an excellent opportunity to both spread and live the gospel.
http://livefashionable.com
http://www.cometogethertrading.com
http://www.redearthtradingco.com
http://www.furnacehillscoffee.com/index
http://preemptivelove.org
www.noondaycollection.com
http://goodnewsgoods.com
www.theopenarmshop.com
www.meadscorner.com
www.commonthreadz.com
www.Groobs.com
www.globalgirlfriend.com
www.3seams.com
http://www.ravenandlily.com
http://www.numanainc.com
http://www.pyxispath.com
www.tradeasone.com
www.thehungersite.org
www.funkyfishdesigns.com
www.bethejoy.com
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